Brite Winter Festival

If we told you
that Cleveland hosts one of the fiercest up-and-coming art and music festivals
in the country, you probably wouldn't be too surprised. After all, this is the
home of rock and roll.

But, what if we
told you that this unique festival is held outside...in
February...in Cleveland?

Before you look
at me like I've got two heads, give me sec to explain.

It's called Brite
Winter Festival and
it's quickly growing to become one of the hottest (errrr coldest?) events in
Cleveland.

Now in its sixth
year, the one-day FREE event - which draws in excess of 20,000 people - is held
in the beer-friendly neighborhood of Ohio City on Feb. 21 from 4 - 11pm.

So, what's it
all about?

"Brite is a
one-of-a-kind winter art and music festival that encourages festival goers to
embrace the winter in Cleveland," Brian Horsburgh, Executive Director of Brite
Winter, says. "Everyone knows Cleveland's got a great arts and culture scene.
This is just one really cool to showcase what we've got - no matter the weather
outside."

Brite Winter
was the brainchild of a motivated group of Cleveland friends who, over drinks
one summer night, agreed that young adults in the city needed a super fun way
to enjoy the city between New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day.

So, they
started what they thought would be a small outdoor music event and expected
around 50 friends. Instead, they ended up with 800 people listening to music,
building snow forts and sliding around on ski-bikes.

"You have to
remember, Clevelanders are a hearty bunch," says Horsburgh. "We're proud of our
city and proud that we can enjoy it 365 days a year."

Today, the
festival takes over the entire Market District section of Ohio City - running
from West 25th and Lorain up to West 29th and right
around Bridge Avenue.

"I must say, the
most unique place at Brite Winter is the outdoor festival village where we shut
down about three streets with music stages, an art gallery and a beer garden."

Located on
Market Avenue and West 25th Street, the festival village will be a
popular spot for visitors to enjoy a couple of open fire pits to get warm
without going inside. And, thankfully, Great Lakes Brewing Company (our most
noteworthy local brewer) will be outside providing the adult beverages.

Of course,
going inside is perfectly okay. In fact, the entire Ohio City neighborhood and
its myriad of beery bars, restaurants and eateries come to life with drink
specials, music and all sorts of craziness. In fact, the party technically goes until 2am
inside many of the neighborhoods businesses.

Music is
certainly the driving force and one of the most popular aspects of the event.
Brite Winter will boast at least eight stages - three of which will be
outdoors.

While the bands
have yet to be announced, Horsburgh promises they'll offer a diverse set of
genres including rock, indie pop, punk, hip hop, singer/songwriters and
even folk music.

Art is a big
focus of the festival, too. Inside the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting
Room, you'll find a stage with a schedule of bands throughout the day. But what
makes it even more unique is that there are several visual artists within the
space who are creating winter-themed artwork right before your eyes.

Another really interesting art exhibition is the "Wall of
Light," a 40-foot-long, 10-foot-high grid wall in which people can plug in
lamps. Anyone can bring a lamp. Expect to see everything from the ever-popular A Christmas Story leg lamps to
interestingly designed lighting creations from local artists.

Outside,
visitors will find a light displays, a life-size skeeball game and a
contraption for playing cornhole that is the size of a small child (yep, you
throw huge stuffed animals instead of bean bags).

Horsburgh
laughs, "The common theme we hear from people who've attended: THIS IS SO
CLEVELAND!!"

And, when
visitors are ready to start noshing, they're in luck. Brite Winter is expected
to have 8 - 10 local food trucks outside, as well as the locavorian menus found
inside the neighborhood's popular eateries.

"There's
nothing better than hanging out with tens of thousands of people celebrating
winter, drinking a couple of beers, hitting up local food trucks and listening
to some incredible bands."

"Come early. Plan to spend the day. Grab a
bite to eat. Enjoy a beer," he said. "But more than anything, prepare to be
totally surprised. You won't experience an event like this anywhere else in the
country. "

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